CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS 

 

SHRIMP: 

 

Shrimp is a 62-year-old female version of the Marlboro Man. Sexy yet rugged. Born in the Great Salt Lake in Utah, to a young polygamist teenage girl, Shrimp developed special unique abilities as a result of growing up in this mysterious lake.  (In flashbacks, Shrimp appears older than her age, due to spending so much time underwater in The Great Salt Lake, so the same actress can play her from 18 up.)

 

WANDA:

 

Wanda is a home care nurse, the best in the business, whose marriage is on the rocks and yearns for a new life. As an African-American Mormon woman, her choice of religion is often questioned. (Based on a real group of African-American Mormon women trying to modernize the Mormon Church from within.) Age 45-65. 

 

DAN:

 

Dan, 62, has a terminal illness. Born and raised as a polygamist, he was put out by his family at the age of 13 thus making him a "lost boy". As Dan faces his impending death, he becomes increasingly worried about what Shrimp will do once he's gone. 

 

(YOUNG DAN: Plays Dan in flashbacks at age 18+)

 

ELIZA MAE: 

 

Eliza Mae is a statuesque polygamist woman who murders her husband and inadvertently helps to kill Shrimps mother. A complex woman willing to do whatever it takes to free herself from a life she no longer wants. (Ages in flashbacks from mid 40’s-mid 80’s.)

 

LOWELL:  

 

Shrimp's father, Lowell, is a polygamist man. He leads his family with an iron fist, complimented by a soft tone in his voice. Similar to Warren Jeffs, he believes he is second only to the Lord Himself. Age 40’s-50’s.

 

FANNY: 

 

Shrimps 13-year-old mother who dies during childbirth. One of Lowell’s plural wives. Though sweet and innocent, she is wise beyond her years, and knows how to handle Lowell’s angry abusive behavior. (Inspired by the screenwriter's real life Great-Great-Great Aunt, Fanny Alger, a 14-year-old girl who was Joseph Smith's first plural wife.)